1990The Library's collection stands at 22,000 volumes, and Library circulation is 50,000 books per year. The Town's population is increasing, too. These facts force formation of the Library Renovation Project.

1992The Library Renovation Project is a success: there's now room to grow for another 10 years! Increased book stacks, increased office space, with a new Children's Department and Program Room.

1998Acknowledging that the library will again ned to be expanded in the near future, the Town appoints a Library Facilities Committee to investigate how best to accommodate the ever-growing library's needs.

2002The Library Facilities Committee recognizes the fact that the existing library can not be further expanded. They begin forming plans for building a new library.

2004In November a bond issue appeared on the election ballot, and voters approved a $5M bond for construction of new 24,000 sq. ft. library building.

2006On September 24 the groundbreaking ceremony is held on the site of the Old Stillwater Mill complex.

2008On April 1st the new Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library building is dedicated, and on April 27th the new Library officially opens to the public.

Library History

The Jesse Smith Library had its beginnings in 1894 when Mary
E. Smith of Harrisville bequeathed a sum of money and a parcel
of land at the corner of East Avenue and Main Street to the
Town of Burrillville to be held in trust until such time as a
public library could be erected in memory of her late husband,
Jesse M. Smith.

Jesse M. Smith and Mary E. Smith

It took many years, but the town fathers finally began construction of the Memorial Block, a three story brick commercial building which was planned to house various businesses and recreational facilities, including a bowling alley and assembly hall, town offices, and, in the
southwest corner of the second floor, a library room. The Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library, was dedicated in the fall of 1906.

Smith Memorial Building, 1933

This served the library needs of the community until 1933 when
local mill owner and philanthropist Austin T. Levy undertook
the Town Buildings Project.

Austin T. Levy and June Rockwell Levy

This project included construction
of the Town Building, The Assembly Theatre, and the razing of
the Memorial Block to make way for a new Jesse Smith Library
building. The building was completed in 1935, and The Jesse M.
Smith Memorial Library was dedicated.

Jesse Smith Library in 1935
In 1935 the library consisted of only the main part of the building. The structure seen at the right and the roof at the back were part of the 1992 expansion.

The building is still in use today. Since December 2009, the building at 144 Main Street has been known as the Carlton Brown Building, or "The Annex," and it has been renovated again to accommodate use by various Town departments. Through it all, the building has remained a facility which maintains the pleasant, homey, village atmosphere that Mr. and Mrs. Levy envisioned for all the Town Buildings.

The Library's Main Room 1935

Use of the new library continued to grow, and in 1944, the
library was enlarged with the addition of a Reading Room at
the rear. By 1970 annual circulation stood at 6,695 and the
collection consisted of 6,860 volumes. By 1980 circulation
had risen to 25,466, and the number of books stood at 13,506.
Now, in addition to books, the library offered Large Print
materials, a variety of magazines, record albums, and jigsaw
puzzles for children and adults. Additionally, the building
boom of the mid-eighties brought a significant increase in
population to the town, which in turn increased demand for
library services, particularly children's programs and materials.
To meet these needs, a professional Children's Librarian was
added to the staff, and the library services were updated and
expanded to include loans of audio and video cassettes as well
as books on tape.

By 1990 circulation had leveled off at around 50,000, but the
library was now "full." The collection, grown to over 22,000 volumes,
was jammed into every available nook and cranny, and the
overcrowding and outdated mechanical systems were limiting
the possibilities for offering new services and technologies
such as computers. Since the Town was unable to
undertake the construction of a new library building, it became
necessary to consider the options for expanding the present
building without destroying the historic character of the
property. It was then that a small but determined group of
people began working on the Library Renovation Project.

Renovations included an unobtrusive addition and expansion of the Reading Room, and a complete basement renovation which increased the useful building space by seventy-five per cent. The Project was completed in May 1992 at a cost of $550,000, only $75,000 of which was appropriated Town Tax funds. The balance of the renovation was paid for by foundation grants and a fund-raising campaign.

The 1992 Library Renovation Project not only increased space, it improved lighting, electrical, and HVAC systems with the goal of providing ten years of "growing space" for the library. And by 2002, as anticipated, the natural growth in the library's collection and services saw the library building again bursting at the seams.

Main Room 2004

Main Room 2004

By 2004, 12 years after the renovation, the library's collection had more than doubled in size since 1992 (to nearly 50,000 volumes!), and there was just no more space available. The children's collection had expanded into the Program Room. Shelves were overloaded, and vigorous "weeding" of older volumes had become an on-going necessity, with many older books being either placed in storage or discarded.

Sadly, it had to be acknowledged that further expansion of the current library building would be impossible. As part of the Historic District, it couldn't be altered further without damaging its character; therefore, in order to continue providing the best in library services to the citizens of Burrillville, construction of a completely new library building became the only option.

Fortunately, the Library Facilities Committee appointed by the Town in 1998 had foreseen this situation and begun the process of making a new library a reality. They hired a professional consultant, and a Building Program outlining the community’s library needs for the next two decades was developed. They even began actively investigating various potential building sites.

But it was not until the Town designated the Stillwater Mill Redevelopment Zone that the project really took hold. Suddenly, the idea of a building a new library located on the Clear River overlooking the Stone Arch Bridge and Mill Pond Falls in Harrisville became a plausible and practical goal. Funds were designated, and bids for architectural services were sent out, resulting in the hiring of Newport Collaborative Architects of Providence to design a new library facility to reflect the mill heritage of its new home

In November 2004, a bond issue appeared on the election ballot and voters approved a five million dollar bond toward construction of a new 24,000 square foot facility, paving the way for appointment of a formal Library Building Committee to bring the project to completion.

Bond approved, the Town, the Planning Department, and the Library Building Committee brought in grants from a variety of state, federal and private sources. The R. I. Office of Library and Information Services approved an application for Library Construction Reimbursement Funds in the amount of $3,681,721. Funds to assist with site cleanup were received, and the Capital Campaign Committee began fund raising efforts.

The Groundbreaking Ceremony took place on September 24, 2006.

The new library officially opened to the public on April 27, 2008.

The New Library

The Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library had its beginnings in 1894 with Mary Smith's bequest in honor of her husband, and it has continuously served the community ever since. It is no wonder that the slogan chosen by the Capital Campaign Committee was:

The Jesse M. Smith Memorial Library provides the community with life-long learning, entertainment, public meeting space, and visual reminders of our Town’s industrial heritage. It has enriched the community and the lives of young and old alike for over one hundred years, and, we hope, it will continue to do so for many, many years to come.